Program turns pets into service animals

September 2013

Jake Willison, left, an instructor with Happy Tails Service Dogs, watches as student Robert Westfall commands his 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, Molly, to “touch” his hand, while Robert’s wife, Dorothy, looks on. The “touch” command can be used to teach a dog to do everything from turning on a touch lamp to pushing open a door (photo by Teri Carnicelli).